Prasanna (born 10 February 1951), is a major Indian theatre director and playwright from Karnataka. He is one of the pioneers of modern Kannada theatre.[1] He graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD). He founded Samudaya and gave a creative direction to Kannada theatre in the 1970s with other activists. Prasanna lives in Heggodu in Karnataka. He is known for his organisational skills and new ideas and innovations in theatre.[2] He is a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee. He has directed plays for National School of Drama (Repertory Company, NSD), Ninasam, Rangamandal-Bhopal, Rangayana and worked with many theatre organizations of India.[3] He elected as National President of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).[4][5]
Prasanna | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 February 1951 |
| Nationality | Indian  |
| Alma mater | National School of Drama |
| Occupation | Theatre director |
| Years active | 1991-present |
Early life
editPrasanna quit IIT to pursue his passion in theatre. He was Inspired into theatre by B.V. Karanth, Prasanna joined the National School Drama (NSD). During the Emergency, he went back to Karnataka and founded Samudaya, a radical theatre movement for workers and masses. He staged street plays, protest plays and propagated their political thought in villages. For a while he was also a visiting faculty at NSD. For a couple of years, he worked for an independent television company in New Delhi. He gave this up and left the capital. That was a phase when Prasanna was disenchanted with theatre and almost gave up on his passion, a man who created well noted stage productions like Tughlaq, Gandhi, etc.[6]
Direction
editGirish Karnad's Tughlaq, Gandhi, Life of Galileo, Thai (Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children), Acharya Tartuf, Lal Ghas Per Neele Ghode (translation -Uday Prakash), Ek Lok Katha, Shakuntalam (Abhijñānaśākuntalam), Fujiyama, Dangeya Munchina Dinagalu, Kadadida Neeru, Uttar Ram Charit, Cupid's Broken Arrow,[7] William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Seema Paar(Play on Bharatendu Harishchandra)[8] etc.
Playwright
editHe is also a Kannada playwright, Novelist, and poet. Some of his dramas are:Uli, Seema Paar, Dangeya Munchina Dinagalu, Ondu Lokada Kathe, Haddu Meerida Haadi, Mahihmapura, Jangamada Badaku.
Books about acting
editIndian Method in Acting[9]
Work for visual media
edit- Docu-film "Gokak" (V. K. Gokak) for Sahitya Akademi, Delhi
- Creative Director- Taana -Bana (1991), TV Serial produced by Press Trust of India (PTI-TV)
- Worked with ITV
Awards
edit- B V Karanth award, 2007, National School of Drama
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, for Direction, 1999–2000
References
edit- ^ Parul Sharma (31 December 2007). "An acting activist all the way". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ DH News Service. "Introduce theatre edn in govt schools: Prasanna". Deccanherald.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Rangayana Mysore. "the pioneers of Modern Kannada Theatre". Rangayana.org. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ "Theatre director Prasanna new National President of IPTA, Tanveer Akhtar General Secretary". 19 March 2023.
- ^ "ഇപ്റ്റ ദേശീയ സമ്മേളനം സമാപിച്ചു". 19 March 2023.
- ^ Pradeep, K. (13 April 2013). "Artistic labour is power". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ The Times of India (26 February 2005). "This play gives desi hue to foreign classics". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Ankur Kalitaa. "The Ultimate Frontier-Prasanna's Seema Paar explores the many faces of death". Cities.expressindia.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Prasanna (2013). Indian method in acting. New Delhi. ISBN 978-8181970565. OCLC 829069565.
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